Steelers hiring of Glenn Thomas sends a clear message to Matt Canada

After the 2022 season, the Steelers offense finished in the twenty-third spot in total offense, according to ESPN. We finished with the twenty-fourth-ranked passing offense and the sixteenth-ranked rushing offense. What really stood out for me was the fact that we scored a 'hair' over eighteen points per game. That placed us in the twenty-sixth spot.

I don't know about you but that ain't gonna cut it, so to speak, in 2023. Speaking of which, I was honestly shocked that the Steelers decided to retain Matt Canada following the 2022 season. We have already discussed, it seems, the plethora of issues with the offensive scheme, but needless to say, it was frankly a miracle we finished with a winning record despite averaging about eighteen points per game.

Could Steelers offensive assistant replace Matt Canada?

When the Steelers announced the hiring of Glenn Thomas, I really did not make much of it as I assumed by the title alone that Thomas was truly an assistant coach; however, after I read the official press release from the team's website, it dawned on me that Thomas may have been brought in to not only assist Canada with game planning but to light a fire, so to speak, under him.

I think the reality is that the offensive scheme that Canada has been deploying since he was named offensive coordinator is very 'college-esque' and does not stretch the field whatsoever. Running 'go' routes in not stretching the field, particularly if you do not have crossing routes or some other type of underneath route behind the 'go' route.

While most of the experience Thomas brings to the table, as it were, is at the collegiate level, the offenses with which he has worked were 'high-powered' offenses that I guarantee averaged more than eighteen points per game. If the 2023 season starts out the way the entire 2022 transpired, I can absolutely see Mike Tomlin making a change at the offensive coordinator position.

That's where I think Thomas would come into play. Despite the fact that Thomas has never been an offensive coordinator in the NFL, I don't believe that would give Tomlin pause to promote Thomas if the Steelers decide to move on from Canada.

Don't get me wrong, I am not hoping for Canada to fail. I am hoping that Canada will realize that his scheme is not very good and there is no shame in asking for or taking advice from others who have held his position, even if that position was at the collegiate level. I am also hoping that Thomas can help Canada.

As I have said numerous times, hope is not a plan. A plan is a plan. For me, the hiring of Thomas may be the fallback plan if the primary plan of helping Canda devise a game plan where we score more than eighteen points a game does not come to fruition. The question is this: How long will Tomlin tolerate the Canda offense of old before deciding to move on from it? Like everything else, only time will tell.